Yummy Vegetarian & Vegan Dinners

A lot of the world relies on meat for its cultural delicacies- which is a very unfortunate predicament for all the vegetarian/vegan foodies out there. Thankfully, there are some dishes that have no meat (or even animal products entirely!) that still taste absolutely scrumptious. Before the list of delicious ideas and recipes, here are some FAQs of the minimal animal consumption world:


What’s the difference between being vegan and being vegetarian?
Being vegetarian means not eating meat or fish (to some, eggs count as meat. However, in this article, eggs are considered a non-meat animal product). Being vegan means not eating any animal product whatsoever, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and honey. Additionally, being pescatarian means eating fish but not meat.

Why should I eat vegan/vegetarian?
Reports have shown that eating less animal products (specifically cow products) helps the environment greatly. Even eating one vegetarian meal a week can reduce C02 and methane emissions substantially. Plus, meat is expensive, so cutting back your consumption can save you a great deal! A lot of folks also don't eat meat due to ethical reasons or concerns. If this appeals to you but you can't go full on vegetarian or vegan for whatever reason, a great way to start is Meatless Mondays. Cooking one dinner a week without meat seems a lot less daunting, and makes a world of difference!

How do vegans/vegetarians get protein?
There’s a lot of great protein options out there besides meat! Namely, eggs, nuts, beans, chickpeas, tofu, and tempeh all have quite a bit of protein (for example, a cup of pinto beans has 41 grams of protein- an average adult needs around 51 grams of protein a day. That means that you could have a cup of pinto beans and an egg and be all set for the day!). Hummus is made of chickpeas, so its a fantastic protein source as well, and a lot of NaNoers have great hummus recipes- you should ask! It’s also definitely possible to eat vegan/vegetarian without eating tofu (a concern I hear from time to time)- it just means eating other sorts of protein.


Without further ado, here are some favorite vegetarian dinner ideas and recipes!

• Make some veggie fried rice! One of my favorite ways to do this is to cook some brown rice, chop up a bunch of veggies (some particularly great ones are bell peppers, carrots, snap peas, carrots, and broccoli) and maybe some tofu if you desire, then through all of that into a pan with coconut oil, shallots, ginger, soy sauce (pro tip: if you’re good with eating fish, putting fish sauce in takes this to a whole other level), chili flakes, salt and pepper. Top it with a runny fried egg. Be creative! There’s lots of different flavors to experiment with here.

• One delicious way to get quite a bit of protein is with a frittata. Cook up some kale, spinach and leeks, than add it to six eggs with peas, salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and oregano. After it's somewhat cooked, put gobs of goat cheese and stick it in the oven on 'broil' for a couple minutes (just watch that it doesn't get burnt!). Serve it for three(ish) people with a good crusty bread.

• If you have a lot to do but you’re near a stove, pasta with a good vegetable sauce served with some type of protein (tofu! nuts! chickpeas! beans! eggs!) is really easy and really yummy. You could puree up some pesto, or just simply chop some olives, basil, tomatoes, snap peas, and/or zucchini (cook it before adding) and once the pasta is ready, just toss it in a pan with the pasta for around a minute. Delicious!

• Here’s a bunch of NYT Cooking vegetarian recipes that I’ve found to be great: soup, mushroom risotto, shakshuka (we can never figure out how to bake the eggs nicely, so we just fry them and put them on top later), and this cauliflower side dish that tastes like pure heaven.

Here’s a few vegan recipe ideas!

• Do a “taco” night (I hesitate to call them tacos solely because culturally tacos are tortillas with meat and various types of salsa, but these are American tacos). Cook some refried beans with garlic powder and chili, fry up some onions and bell peppers with olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and whatever other seasonings you desire, and then put out bowls of sliced avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, (warmed) corn/flour tortillas, a salsa or two (fun fact! In Spanish, salsa just means sauce), and the beans and peppers with onions. Voila! A simple, vegan “taco” night where everyone just gets to put whatever they want on their tortilla. Extra bonus points go to if you fry up some plantains to go along with it all.
  
  
• Now that it’s starting to get chilly out, root veggies are in season and very delicious. Try roasting butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. You could also do a tray bake with beets, potatoes, cauliflower, and chickpeas- then throw on olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper and top the roasted vegetables with a squeeze of lemon juice.

• Do a grain bowl! Cook quinoa/farro/whatever other grain you want, and then top with roasted sweet potato, kale, roasted broccoli, tofu, roasted almonds, tahini and soy sauce with garlic (trust me on this). Another simple dinner option is to cook some lentils with spices, and serve with rice and roasted broccoli (in case you couldn't tell, broccoli is my favorite vegetable to ever vegetable).

• Other good vegan recipes: You can easily make Marcella Hazan’s pasta e fagioli recipe vegan; just remove the ribs/lamb bone and replace the beef broth with veggie broth, and don’t add the cheese (or you could make if vegetarian with the cheese, and adding in an old Parmesan rind in lieu of the ribs/lamb bone). NYTimes’ vegan “mapo tofu” is also really good, albeit really nontraditional. This soba noodle salad is also exceptional. 

Happy eating!